At 13, Rithvik Kottapalli isn’t just a New England Patriots fan — he’s been a passionate devotee since he was a toddler. “He started young,” laughs his mother, Lakshmi. The boy’s adoration even buoyed him along after he experienced a major stroke four years ago. As he recovered at Boston Children’s Hospital, “He couldn’t remember his own name,” says Lakshmi. “He didn’t know that I was his mom.”

Yet when a clinician asked him who his favorite Pats player was, Rithvik had an answer right away. “[Rob] Gronkowsi,” he murmured — twice. …